SCENT GUIDE & FRAGRANCE WHEEL
Discover What Draws You In
Fragrance is personal. It can remind you of a place, shift your mood, create an atmosphere, or become part of the way you express yourself.
The BC Lab Scent Guide is designed to help you understand how fragrance is structured, recognize the scent families you naturally gravitate toward, and feel more confident when selecting or blending a fragrance.
Use this guide before a workshop, private event, Beauty Bar visit, or at-home ritual to begin discovering what smells most like you.
How Fragrance Is Built
A fragrance is often composed of layers that reveal themselves over time.
Some notes create the first impression. Others form the heart of the scent, while deeper notes provide warmth, character, and staying power. Together, these layers create a complete fragrance story.
The First Impression
TOP
Top notes are the scents you usually notice first.
They tend to feel bright, fresh, light, or sparkling and often include citrus, delicate fruits, airy herbs, and soft florals. Because these notes are lighter, they generally fade sooner and make way for the heart of the fragrance.
The Character of the Fragrance
HEART
Heart notes, also called middle notes, emerge after the opening begins to soften.
They give the fragrance its central personality and often include florals, fruits, spices, creamy accords, and gentle woods. The heart is where the fragrance begins to feel full, expressive, and recognizable.
The Lasting Impression
BASE
Base notes provide depth, warmth, and longevity.
They develop more gradually and help anchor the lighter notes above them. Woods, musks, amber, vanilla, resins, and deeper spices are commonly found in the base of a fragrance.
Find Your Place on the Fragrance Wheel
EXPLORE THE FRAGRANCE FAMILIES
SPICY
Warm, vibrant, bold, and expressive.
Spicy fragrances may feature cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, ginger, pink pepper, saffron, or cardamom.
You may enjoy spicy scents if you love: Depth, contrast, warmth, and fragrances with a noticeable presence.
GOURMAND
Sweet, creamy, decadent, and comforting.
Gourmand fragrances are inspired by edible notes such as vanilla, caramel, chocolate, marshmallow, honey, praline, coffee, and warm bakery accords.
You may enjoy gourmand scents if you love: Cozy sweetness, dessert-inspired aromas, and warm indulgence.
AMBER
Warm, sensual, resinous, and enveloping.
Amber fragrances often combine resins, vanilla, musk, spice, and woods. They may feel soft and powdery or deep and mysterious.
You may enjoy amber scents if you love: Warmth, sophistication, sensuality, and lingering fragrance.
GOURMAND
WOODY
Earthy, smooth, smoky, or richly grounding.
Woody fragrances may include sandalwood, cedar, oud, vetiver, patchouli, birch, and cashmere woods.
You may enjoy woody scents if you love: Nature, warmth, depth, and sophisticated unisex fragrances.
AROMATIC
Herbal, refreshing, crisp, and grounding.
Aromatic fragrances often feature lavender, rosemary, sage, mint, eucalyptus, basil, pine, or juniper.
You may enjoy aromatic scents if you love: Spa-like freshness, herbs, wellness, and naturally calming aromas.
FLORAL
Soft, romantic, luminous, or richly layered.
Floral fragrances may feature delicate petals, lush garden blooms, or creamy white flowers such as rose, jasmine, gardenia, peony, violet, and ylang-ylang.
You may enjoy floral scents if you love: Fresh bouquets, soft femininity, elegance, and classic beauty.
CITRUS
Fresh, sparkling, energizing, and clean.
Citrus fragrances often feature lemon, orange, lime, grapefruit, mandarin, or bergamot. They bring lift and brightness to fragrance blends.
You may enjoy citrus scents if you love: Crisp mornings, fresh energy, and clean, uplifting aromas.
MARINE
Airy, watery, cool, and expansive.
Marine and ozonic fragrances may evoke ocean air, mineral water, rain, fresh linen, sea salt, or a cool breeze.
You may enjoy marine scents if you love: Clean spaces, coastal escapes, and light, refreshing fragrances.
GOURMAND
GREEN
Fresh, leafy, botanical, and natural.
Green fragrances may include bamboo, cucumber, grass, tea leaves, verbena, tomato leaf, or crushed herbs.
You may enjoy green scents if you love: Gardens, fresh air, dewy plants, and clean botanical aromas.
FRUITY
Juicy, playful, vibrant, and inviting.
Fruity fragrances may include orchard fruits, berries, tropical fruits, and darker fruits such as apple, peach, pear, mango, pineapple, cherry, fig, and black currant.
You may enjoy fruity scents if you love: Sweet freshness, brightness, and lively fragrance combinations.
Find Your Scent Direction
Consider the fragrances, places, and moods you already enjoy.
Do you prefer something fresh and clean, warm and comforting, soft and romantic, juicy and playful, or deep and mysterious?
You do not have to choose only one family. Your signature scent may live where two or three families meet.
Fresh & Airy
Citrus, green, marine, and aromatic
Soft & Romantic
Floral, fruity, and soft amber
Warm & Comforting
Gourmand, amber, spicy, and woody
Deep & Mysterious
Woody, amber, spicy, musk, and dark fruit
Your Fragrance,
Your Way
Use what you have discovered to guide your next BC Lab creation.
During select experiences, you will be invited to explore available fragrances, compare scent families, and select a direction that reflects your mood, preferences, or personal style.
Fragrance selections and blending options vary by product, workshop, event format, and availability.
